“Governments come and go but, when it concerns culture, there is one thing that all political parties agree on: that the arts are good for us”, writes Ivan Hewett in an article in The Telegraph. Even Theresa May and EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier should agree on this.

Whether it’s labelled “gender lens investing” (GLI) or “gender smart investing”, there is increasing recognition of the need to incorporate gender factors into investment analysis and decisions. Why is this? Some will argue on economic grounds that women’s participation in the workforce and leadership provide underexploited opportunities for innovation and growth (McKinsey), are linked to greater productivity and return in companies (MSCI) and bring opportunities for better customer insights – for example, in the consumer goods industry where 70-80% of purchasing decisions are made by women. Others will remind us that gender equality is vital to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals – and that there’s still a long way to go.

The Pope Francis rarely makes headlines of financial newspapers. Media Planet dared to highlight the Catholic leader's vision of "putting the economy at the service of peoples", a vision shared by the social investment sector.

Investing for Good took part in the writing of "The Future of Impact Investing", a special edition of Media Planet published on Sept 28th 2018 as a supplement of The Guardian. Discover below the article "A breadth of opportunity" written by Geoff Burnand, CEO at Investing for Good.

The use of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their 17 colourful boxes has now become mainstream in the communication materials of many companies, funds and asset managers. However, it is less clear if they are used as a tool to drive companies’ strategies or to select and measure the impact of investments.

As an impact-driven organisation, not only are you expected to create impact, but you are required to show evidence of the social and/or environmental impact you claim. Genuine intentions are not sufficient anymore, neither are case studies, interesting though these can be. You are expected to show results. To have strong impact data.

With the increasing acceptance of ESG investing as a mainstream investment theme, investors are no longer short of ESG funds to choose from. As investor choice has grown, the spotlight has gradually shifted from seeking to increase the availability of such funds to a greater scrutiny of their ESG credentials.

Change Please, backed by the founder of the Big Issue magazine, started with an observation: Londoners love coffee. And coffee could make a difference. After having trained homeless people as baristas, the organisation provides them with a temporary accommodation and a job: selling ethically-sourced coffee in the streets.

For social ventures generating repeat revenues and seeking new sources of income, impact investment could seem a good fit. Money received can help diversify the funding pool beyond existing contract or earned income as well as enable longer term planning.

When the first digital currency, hit a record value of nearly $20,000 (only to drastically fall a few weeks later) the interest of the masses was captured. Crypto-currencies and its underlying technology Blockchain became a top subject of discussion for more than the fondly named “crypto-geek community”.

We are delighted to start 2018 by announcing that Investing for Good recently earned B Corp status and has joined the community of over 2,000 existing B Corporations in more than 50 countries. What is a Certified B Corp and what does it mean to us? Click below to discover it.